Electric switch



F. GATES.

ELECTRIC SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED NLIZO, 1917- mmm ,Pmi-fed Ma-59 H2L @L 5F- FREDERIC GATES, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE ARROW ELEC- TRIC COMPANY, 0F EAR'IFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 0F CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Lerares.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. i5, i924.

Application tiled November 20, 1917. Serial No. 203,007.

To all whom t may, concern:

Be it known that l, FREDERIC l). Grains, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at .Hartford in the county of Hartford. and State of onnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention relates to electric switches and particularly to switches for electric lamp sockets, the object of my invent-ion being to prov-ide a. switch mechanism of sinn ple and economical construction, adapted to break relatively heavy current and susceptible of being installed within the limited Con- `lines of the insulating body of an ordinary lamp socket.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view, partially broken away, of the insulating body of a lamp socket;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough on the line 2 2, Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a similar View on the line 3-3, rig. i;

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are perspectives of details of the switch mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the present socket comprises the usual socket casing and lining indicated in dotted lines 10, Fig. 1. ll'ithin the casing is supported the insulating body of the socket comprising inner and outer porcelain buttons 11 and 12, upon which the current carrying members of the socket are mounted. The binding terminals lil and 14v for the lead wires are. carried by straps lo and 16, and wire grooves 17 and 1S lead to these terminals.

The strap 15, which carries binding screw 13, is angled over the base'fiange 19 of the screw shell terminal 20, mounted at the outer end of the socket body, and establishes direct electrical connect-ion there-with. This strap is secured in position at one point by the screw bolt 21 passing through both buttons and thus serving to unite the latter together.. as well as to hold the screw shell and strap in place. A second bolt 22 pierces only the outer button 12 and takes into the strap at a point remote from the bolt 21.

The. strap 16, leading from the terminal 14. is bent inward into the switch chamber between the buttons and forms the switch terminal 23. In order to hold this terminal the angled end of the strap 26 passing down the outside of the button 12, and secured by a screw 27 to the base of the center contact' 2S. The screw shell 20 is apertured at 29 to permit the passage therethrough of the offset end of the strap 26 and the base of the terminal The recess 30 in the button, in which the base of the terminal 28 is seated, is rectangular, thus holding the terminal in fixed position against any tendency to swivel, The inner end of the strap 26 is passed through holeA 31 in button V11 to afford a secure anchorage similar to thatA afforded for the corresponding end of strap 16. It will he noted that these offset inner ends of the straps 16 and 26 are both clamped between the adjacent faces of the buttons 11 and 12 so that their extension into the holes 24 and 31 is not essential to their secure anchorage, although it adds rigidity.

The adjacent faces of the two buttons are recessed to afford a switch chamber The portion of this chamber in the button 11 forms a bay 33 of substantially rectangular shape. Through the diagonally opposite corners of this bay pass the switch terminals 23 and 2'4. The switch contact seriiing to connect these terminals comprises a pair of conchoidal spring wings 34 and carried hy a. metal drum 36 having` at one end, a ratchet plate 3T, and at its other end. a hearing pin journaled in a hole 39 in the button 11. A. washer 40 may he interposed between the drum and the button to insure a smooth bearing. Cooperating with the ratchet plate 3T is a disk 41 havingl dogs 42V adapted to engage the arms of the ratchet plate 37. The plate 41 is mounted on an insulating carrier 43, which also carries the chain rail 44 for the pull chain 45. The carrier 43 and plate 41 are pierced in register at 46 to accommodate the spindle 47 passing therethrough. and entering the bore of the drum 36. @oiled upon the spindle 47 is a return spring 48', one end of which engages the tongue 49 of the plate 41, while its other end is passed through a hole in the squared head 50 of the spindle 47. The head 50 is seated in, a correspondingly shaped Well in the bottom of the recess 51,

and thus normally holds the, spindle against lli va like motion to the rotation. ln order to adjust the tension of the spring@r 425,' the button l2 is pierced at 52 to permit the insertion of a screw driver into engagement with a slot in the head 50 oi the spindle. By pushing' the spindle 4T inward a sui'licient distance to unseat the squared head 5() from its reetangula r well, it may be rotated and the tension of the spring i8 increased or lessened, as may be desired.

r)The operation ot the switch is readily unt'lerstood. lpon pulling the actuating chain 4:5, the dogs 1&3 on the plate tl engage the arms ot the ratchet plate 3T and impart a rotary motion to the drum 36. This ino4 tion compresses the springl arms irl-3o against the contacts 23 and 2l, and when the tension becomes sul'licient to overcome the resistance ottered by the trictional en `@agement ot these parts, the springr arms part from the terminal plates with a snap action and expand into a corresponding` position a quarter turn in advance ot' that illustrated'in Fig. l. Upon the release of the pull chain -fl-, the plate il returns to its original position, under the action of the return spring but the spring contact arms fia-35 are held in the position to which they hare been moved, by the engagement ol' their ends against the flat sides ot the bay 33 in which they work. rl`he ratchet plate li is now in position to again impart spring contacts upon the succeeding actuation of the pull chain 45.

`Various modifications in detail and arri'ingeii'ient of the parts will readily occur to those skilled in the art without departing,v

-t'rfnn what ll claim as my invention.

l. In an electric lamp socket, a body cour prisingr a pair ot' insulating buttons recessed on their adjacent faces to aliord a substantially closed switch chamber,'switch terminals coml'irisine a pair ot' exterior straps carried by one of said buttons and angled into'the switch chamber on opposite sides thereof, said straps piercing the other but ton oi" said body, together with a switch contact cooperating with said terminals and mechanisn'i within said chamber for impart iner an intermittent motion to said switch contact, and a binding screw on the exterior portion of one of said straps.

In an electric lamp socket, yan insulating body comprising a pair ot insulating buttons recessed on their adjacent- Ylaces to atlord a substantially closed switch chamber having a rectangular bay at one end there of, an exterior wire terminal strap having an arm angled into said rectangular hay to form a switch terminal, a lamp engagingq terminal at one end of the insulating body, a strap extendingv therefrom exterior to the insulating body but having' an end angled into said rectangular switch chamber, in combination with a rotary switch piece working in said rectangular bay and servingv to malte. and break electrical connection between said switch terminals, together with a ratchet operated mechanism ior rotating said switch contact. i

3. ln an electric lamp socket, an insulating' .body eomprisii'ig a pair ot insulating buttons recessed on their adjacent faces to afford a substantially closed switch chamber ha ving a rectangular bay at one end thereot, a rotary switch member arranged sulostantially centrally in said bay and journaled in one ot said buttons, a stationary spindle bearing' supported in 'the other of said insulating buttons and forming a trunnion on which said rotary switch member is journaled, switch operating mechanism mounted on said stationaryr spindle, a Wire terminal strap exterior to said insulatingf body and having an arm angled into said rectangular bay and lying' against one side thereof to t'orm a switch terminal, a lamp engaging terminal latine` body, a strap extending therefrom exterior to the insulating body and haring a terminal angled into said rectangular switch chamber and' lying' against the Wallthereot' opposite the bii'iding,` screw terminal, together with means for operating the switch mechanism to impart intermittent rotary movement to the switch member rotating in the bay.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FREDERIC l. GATES.

at one end ot' the insu- 

